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GOP SPOTLIGHTS DOCTORS IN OBAMACARE WAR – Seung Min Kim and Jennifer Haberkorn have the story for POLITICO: “Get ready for the next line of attack from the GOP on Obamacare: good luck keeping your doctor. As other controversies surrounding the law begin to fade, House Republicans are increasingly focused on President Barack Obama’s pledge that ‘if you like your doctor, you will be able to keep your doctor.’ They’re hoping to replicate the uproar over canceled insurance plans, which has caused problems for millions of consumers nationwide and political headaches for Democrats.

-- “Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said to reporters on Tuesday that the ‘fundamentally flawed’ health care law is ‘causing people to lose the doctor of their choice.’ Chief GOP investigator Darrell Issa has launched a House probe into the doctor claim. And House Republicans have highlighted the physician predicament in their weekly GOP addresses. Here is the gist of the GOP contention: Some insurers have limited the number of doctors or hospitals their customers can go to in their new coverage plans, and some people will have to get new coverage plans under Obamacare. While a limited inventory of doctors is typical of most insurance policies both on and off the Obamacare exchanges, it runs counter to the Obama administration’s promise that people won’t have to change doctors under the health care law.” http://politi.co/1gDWfrl

OBAMA FINALLY SEIZES BULLY PULPIT: ‘WE’RE NOT GOING BACK’ – Edward-Isaac Dovere and Jonathan Allen write for POLITICO: “Democrats have spent five years complaining President Barack Obama hasn’t done enough with his bully pulpit. So when he went on defense on his health care law over the past two months as it floundered, they ached for him to step it up. Tuesday they got what they wanted. The White House launched three weeks of Affordable Care Act promotion in what it promises will be one of Obama’s most extensive, consistent messaging efforts in office. The first event was low-key — a short, quiet, decidedly non-rally-like appearance in a White House complex auditorium. But for Democrats, any consistent positive message is better than reacting late to events and trying to fix a broken website. …

--“‘My main message today is we’re not going back. We’re not going to betray Monica or Julia or Sam or Justine or Joanne,’ Obama said, listing the names of people whose stories he told and whose letters he read who’d suffered medically and financially under the old system. ‘We’re not repealing it as long as I am president. We will make it work for all Americans.’” http://politi.co/IGZWR6

MORE OBAMACARE BELOW …

** On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified, Prohibition was repealed and states were granted primary authority over alcohol. Today, America’s beer distributors are Main Street businesses delivering choice and value to consumers. Learn more at http://bit.ly/I3unBj.

Detroit Free-Press, A1 banner: “DETROIT IS BANKRUPT: A CHANCE TO START OVER – BUT AT WHAT COST?” By Nathan Bomey, Brent Snavely and Alisa Priddle: “The city of Detroit today officially became the largest municipality in U.S. history to enter Chapter 9 bankruptcy after U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes declared it met the specific legal criteria required to receive protection from its creditors. The landmark ruling ends more than four months of uncertainty over the fate of the case and sets the stage for a fierce clash over how to slash an estimated $18 billion in debt and long-term liabilities that have hampered Detroit from attacking pervasive blight and violent crime.” http://on.freep.com/IDUiPkPDF: http://bit.ly/1cllde5

RYAN’S BIPARTISAN BUDGET MOMENT – Jake Sherman and John Bresnahan report for the hometown paper: “Paul Ryan’s bold budget documents have helped shape House Republicans for a half-dozen years. They’ve been slabs of red meat to the Republican base but have served little practical purpose, as differences have only deepened with the Democratic Senate. But now, he and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) appear to be closing in on a bipartisan budget deal. And for the first time in his 14 years in Congress, the Wisconsin Republican has a chance to shepherd a major bill with his name on it into law, giving him an opportunity to shape part of the 2014 election and, perhaps, his own political image as he considers a possible 2016 White House bid. …

-- “Ryan has just two laws to his name: In 2000, he helped rename a post office in Janesville, Wis., after the late Les Aspin, the former Defense secretary; and in 2004, he changed an excise tax on arrows.” http://politi.co/18ho0nk

IMMIGRATION FAST ENDS, EVOKES IMAGES OF CESAR CHAVEZ – Emmarie Huetteman and Julia Preston report for the New York Times: “A longtime labor leader and two other advocates of an immigration overhaul ended their water-only fasts on Tuesday in a tent on the National Mall, the 22nd day of an effort to press the House to take up legislation on the issue. In a ceremony choreographed to evoke the civil rights and farmworker movements of the 1960s, the labor leader, Eliseo Medina, 67, took a bite of bread and a sip of apple juice. Looking tired, Mr. Medina did not speak during the event. Afterward, he rose and walked away, leaning on the arm of another advocate. Mr. Medina, a senior official in the Service Employees International Union, made a symbolic handoff to Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III, Democrat of Massachusetts, who said he would fast for 24 hours.

-- “The scene was reminiscent of the end of a 25-day fast in 1968 by Cesar Chavez of the United Farm Workers, who received his first food from Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Representative Kennedy’s grandfather. About a dozen Democratic lawmakers were on hand Tuesday to show support, including the House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi of California, and Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez also attended.” http://nyti.ms/18hs5ry

-- REBECCA TALLENT, Speaker Boehner’s new point person on immigration policy, backs a path to citizenship and moves to the speaker's office from the Bipartisan Policy Center, where she has served as director of immigration policy, signaling Boehner may be getting serious about immigration reform. National Journal: http://bit.ly/18lFoUP

-- FORMER REP. SUSAN MOLINARI (R-N.Y.) honors Pelosi in the latest POLITICO “Women Rule” essay: “When Nancy Pelosi was elected speaker of the House in 2007, she cracked the marble ceiling. As a former member of Congress — and more importantly, as a mother of two daughters — I was thrilled. But I was also very moved. It didn’t matter that I was a Republican and she was Democratic. Finally, 90 years after the first female was elected to Congress in 1917, girls across America could see a woman leading one of the most powerful institutions in the world. But what moved me even more than that ‘first’ was the image of the speaker in the well of the House, then at the podium, flanked by so many eager, proud and hopeful young faces, with a baby wrapped comfortably in her arms. Pelosi embraced her status as the first woman speaker, never downplaying her gender the way so many before her might have. She turned motherhood and grandmotherhood into a sign of strength and power.” http://politi.co/IMNO1C

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, DEC. 4, 2013, and welcome to The Huddle, your-play-play preview of all the action on Capitol Hill. Send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints and corrections to swong@politico.com. If you don’t already, please follow me on Twitter @scottwongDC.

My new followers include @nickmild and @FollowMyKhalid.

TODAY IN CONGRESS – The Senate is out this week and returns on Monday. The House meets at 10 a.m. with first votes expected between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. and last votes between 3:45 and 4:30 p.m. on the Small Business Capital Access and Job Preservation Act, which would exempt most private equity firms from registering with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

AROUND THE HILL – Rep. Earl Blumenauer unveils a new bill to increase the federal gas tax in accordance with recommendations made by the Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction proposal, at 10:30 a.m. in HVC-201.

THE CAPITOL CHRISTMAS TREE, an 88-foot tall Engelmann spruce from Colville National Forest in Colville, Wash., is now lit on the West Front. WaPo has a slideshow here of last night’s ceremony: http://wapo.st/1bI3bUX

RADEL COULD STILL FACE HOUSE ETHICS PROBE – Ledyard King reports for the (Fort Myers, Fla.) News-Press: “Even if Rep. Trey Radel completes his substance abuse treatment, abides by his supervised probation and returns to Congress next month, he still could face an ethics investigation. Congressional rules give the House Ethics Committee 30 days after a member has been charged with a crime to decide whether to take action. Radel pleaded guilty to misdemeanor cocaine possession Nov. 20, the day after he was charged with buying the drug from an undercover officer. The Ethics Committee, which meets behind closed doors, must convene by Dec. 19 to discuss possible action. Radel is the first sitting House member to be arrested on a cocaine charge, experts say. Sanctions against Radel, 37, could range from a “letter of reproval” to a recommendation for expulsion. The committee could opt not to take any action at all.” http://newspr.es/1ayDhNo

-- Radel will donate his congressional $14,500-per-month salary to The Boys & Girls Clubs of Collier and Lee County, the Naples Daily News reports. http://bit.ly/1ayDSOX

VITTER WILL DECIDE NEXT MONTH ON GOVERNOR’S RACE – The AP’s Melinda Deslatte reports from Baton Rouge: “After months of dodging the talk, Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter said Tuesday that he is considering a run for governor in 2015 and plans to decide by next month. Vitter told The Associated Press that he is sending an email to supporters Wednesday and is in discussions with his family about the possibility. He said he expects to make his decision by January so he will have time to fundraise, develop a campaign and work on his policy agenda. ‘This is the logical time to do it, if I'm ever going to do it,’ the two-term senator said. ‘There are strong arguments in either direction, but the general question in my mind is where I think I can make the most positive contribution.’ Vitter, 52, would be a formidable candidate and other possible GOP contenders have been waiting for him to announce his intentions before they decide theirs. ‘I think I'd be a significant candidate, but there are no sure bets in life,’ he said. Gov. Bobby Jindal is term-limited, so the governor's race is wide open.” http://apne.ws/1eMwUu8

… OBAMACARE CONTINUED

SOME REID STAFFERS EXEMPT FROM OBAMACARE – Chris Frates reports for CNN: “Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, one of Obamacare's architects and staunchest supporters, is also the only top congressional leader to exempt some of his staff from having to buy insurance through the law's new exchanges. Reid is the exception among the other top congressional leaders. GOP House Speaker John Boehner, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell have all directed their staffs to join the exchange, their aides said. And in the charged atmosphere surrounding Obamacare, Reid's decision only gives Republicans more ammo to attack Democrats already suffering politically from the law's botched rollout.” http://cnn.it/1cVUBPt

WHICH HEADS WILL ROLL AFTER OBAMACARE ROLLOUT – Michael D. Shear writes for the New York Times: “White House officials, asserting that the HealthCare.gov website is largely fixed, are under mounting pressure from Democrats and close allies to hold senior-level people accountable for the botched rollout of President Obama’s signature domestic achievement and to determine who should be fired. … Officials declined to offer details about which government employees at the White House or other agencies might be under the microscope … But there is a long list of people who have been publicly identified as key players.

-- “The possible targets include Kathleen Sebelius, the health and human services secretary; Marilyn Tavenner, the head of the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services; Mike Hash, the head of the health and human services health reform office; Michelle Snyder, the chief operating officer at Medicaid and Medicare; Henry Chao, the chief digital architect for the website; Jeanne Lambrew, the head of health care policy inside the White House; David Simas, a key adviser involved in the rollout; and Todd Park, the president’s top adviser on technology issues.” http://nyti.ms/189rFFX

AFTER SANDY HOOK, GUN-CONTROL ADVOCATES SETTLE FOR SMALL GAINS – Ginger Gibson and Burgess Everett write for POLITICO: “A 10-year extension of the ban on plastic guns — not toys but high-powered firearms that can evade detection by metal detectors — is poised to clear Congress before the existing 25-year law expires on Dec. 9. But even something that simple is full of obstacles and opposition. … The Republican House version of the bill, which would renew the law with no additional provisions, passed the chamber on a voice vote Tuesday afternoon — meaning no roll call was taken to provide a list of who had supported or opposed the measure. But …New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, the No. 3 Democratic leader, will likely attempt on Monday to pass a more comprehensive bill … Ultimately, the Senate is expected to just swallow the House version.” http://politi.co/1eORry9

NEAR-EMPTY HOUSE REMEMBERS TRAIN CRASH VICTIMS – Dan Friedman writes for the New York Daily News: “The House of Representatives paused Tuesday for a moment of silence for victims of the deadly Metro-North derailment, but in a shift from other recent memorials, the moment came before an almost empty chamber. The dead and injured New Yorkers were memorialized by members of the New York delegation after almost all their colleagues left the room. Aides to New York members said House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) deemed the event not a significant enough national tragedy for the moment of silence to occur between votes. …

-- “There are no rules for such memorials, but House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) in a bid to prevent proliferation of observances that slow down the chamber, has said that what it considers national tragedies get moments of silence between votes, while ‘regional’ tragedies get unofficial moments during time reserved for miscellaneous short speeches. Democratic aides said Boehner's office denied a request for a moment before the full House, allowing it only after votes.” http://nydn.us/IMQzQH

TUESDAY’STRIVIA WINNER – Tom Flanagin was first to correctly answer that Philip Reid is the slave who is credited with helping to cast the Statue of Freedom that sits atop the dome.

TODAY’S TRIVIA – Claude Marx has today’s question: President Obama recently said he might live in D.C. after he leaves office so his daughter can finish high school. Who was the last president to continue living in D.C. after leaving office? The first person to correctly answer gets a mention in the next day's Huddle. Email me at swong@politico.com.

GET HUDDLE emailed to your Blackberry, iPhone or other mobile device each morning. Just enter your email address where it says “Sign Up.” http://www.politico.com/huddle/

** This December marks 80 years since the end of Prohibition – the time period from 1920-1933 when alcohol beverages were prohibited in the U.S. Those years are embedded in history with images of speakeasies and organized crime. But the 21st Amendment – which repealed Prohibition and established state-based alcohol regulation – began a new era. Today, more than 2,400 breweries operate in the U.S. As part of an effective alcohol distribution system, 3,300 independent beer distributors get new brands to market, and they invest in and build brands of all sizes – from large familiar labels to imports and local craft brews. And America’s beer distributors make a big impact on the U.S. economy: 130,000 jobs. $54 billion to the gross domestic product. $10.3 billion in federal, state and local taxes. So, the next time you enjoy a cold one, raise your glass to America’s system of alcohol distribution. Learn more at http://bit.ly/I3unBj.